1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to collectible game cards and a game played therewith; more specifically to a multi-participant competitive turn-based card game having literary, reading comprehension, scientific and mathematical learning components.
2. Description of the Related Art
The prior art relating to playing cards and card games discloses a wide variety of games as well as the types of cards used to play them. A description of several such games is provided by Hennessey (U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,034). The most well known of these are the card games played using the so-called xe2x80x9cstandardxe2x80x9d playing card deck of 52 cards, wherein the generic nature of the deck allows it to be used in the play of many different games, each having different rules and different definitions of xe2x80x9cvictory.xe2x80x9d Since the cards themselves have fairly limited and simple features, the complexity and inherent interest of each game played depends on the nature of its rules and the skills of the participants. More recently, a new genre of card game has appeared, the fantasy, adventure and role-playing type multi-participant card game. The game takes the form of a competition, wherein the card characters held by one of the participants and selected from that participants deck attempt to defeat the card characters held by the other participants that were selected from their respective decks using strategies and tactics in accord with the rules of the game. In general, the goal of each participant is to use the various powers of his cards to reduce the xe2x80x9cenergyxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9clife forcexe2x80x9d of the other participants to a point where they must leave the game. In order to denote characters with particular qualities, powers and strengths, these games provide playing cards with a rich set of features and appearances, including among them symbolism and complex artistic renderings. As the game proceeds, the qualities and strengths possessed by the card characters of each player may be allowed to change as a result of other cards held by the player, the outcomes of various encounters with card characters held by other participants in the game and various other game circumstances. The qualities of a character generally define and circumscribe the actions that the character is permitted to take, while its strengths generally indicate the outcomes of encounters between that character and other characters. Also distinguishing such games from the standard card games is the fact that the deck is not fixed in terms of the number of card types it may contain. Players may be allowed to accumulate additional cards as a result of game victories, trading or purchase and these additional cards may be then be used in the play of the game to strengthen a players position or enlarge his playing options. The xe2x80x9ccollectiblexe2x80x9d aspect of the cards used in these games derives from the advantages that accrue to the participant who possesses them, as well as the intrinsic artistic merit of the cards and their rarity. An example of this type of game is provided by Garfield (U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,332). For the purposes of drawing a clear distinction between the cards and method of play provided by the present invention and the method of the game taught by Garfield, it should be pointed out that Garfield provides a game of great complexity, utilizing many different types of cards, whose purposes are further varied according to their colors and which are brought into play by a designation process of xe2x80x9ctapping,xe2x80x9d in which the card is changed in its orientation. Further, in the game provided by Garfield, participants play simultaneously, rather than by taking a series of xe2x80x9cturns,xe2x80x9d wherein each participant is allowed to actively play his hand while the other participants are temporarily inactive. In addition, in the game provided by Garfield, there is a special set of cards, xe2x80x9cresource cards,xe2x80x9d that supply the energy needed to sustain the player. In the game provided by Garfield, it is the player himself who is provided with the energy, who is the object of attack by other players and who is defeated by being depleted of said energy, as opposed to a game in which it is the players cards that are supplied with energy and become the object of the competition. The game of Garfield does not use characters drawn from a story, nor does it provide a meaningful mathematical learning experience.
It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a game that goes beyond the attributes of others in the prior art and is thereby rendered more suitable for a wider range of participants, particularly younger participants. In particular, it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a game that not only differs from others in the prior art in terms of the nature and appearance of its cards, its rules, objectives, tactics, strategems, and general method of play, but also offers participants a multi-faceted learning and educational experience that is not provided by games known to the prior art.
The cards and card game provided by this invention not only offer their owner and game participant enjoyment at several different levels, but also a provide a significant educational and learning experience. Above and beyond their use in the play of the game, the cards of the present invention have an artistic quality that adds to their desirability and collectibility. Moreover, the game characters are so novel in their names, qualities and appearance that a strong bond is created between themselves and the participants, thereby enhancing the play of the game by fostering a strong interest in its progress. Unlike other card games of the prior art, such as the game of Garfield, cited above, the characters of the present invention are drawn from and a part of a written story that will, in one embodiment, accompany the game. This novel use of accompanying textual material encourages the participants to become involved in the game and to remain involved in it at a literary as well as competitive level. In the case of younger participants, the game reinforces the story and the participant is encouraged, thereby, to become an active reader as well as a game player. In a further effort to engage the younger player and provide that player with a multifaceted learning experience, the names of the card characters are chosen so as to start and end with every letter of the alphabet and to use every possible spelling convention and letter combination. In this way, merely voicing the names of the characters provides a language experience that is of particular value to the younger player. Another object of the present invention, again unlike the game of Garfield, is to provide a mathematical learning experience that results from algebraic and other numerical activities that must be undertaken by participants when utilizing certain of the cards. As will be seen in the Description of the Preferred Embodiment, certain of the cards can only be activated and used by the participant if a simple algebraic equation for the requisite energy is first solved. Finally, the actions of the characters, in both the game and the accompanying story, will adhere to scientific principles and terminology, even though the characters themselves may be drawn from fantasy. Unlike other games of the prior art, the player of the game provided by the present invention will be enriched in mathematical literacy, scientific literacy, language skills and reading comprehension. Again, unlike the game provided by Garfield, the present game is turn based, rather than played simultaneously by all participants. This feature provides more structure to the game, which is a feature particularly appreciated by the younger player. In addition, victory in the present game requires that energy be depleted from certain of the player""s cards, rather than from the player himself. Although perhaps seeming to be a subtle point, for the younger participant the game seems less directed at his persona and is, therefore, less threatening. Additionally, the present game differs from that provided by Garfield by being less complex in terms of having fewer card types and requiring fewer activities such as xe2x80x9ctappingxe2x80x9d the cards and providing energy from external sources such as the resource cards. Thus the present invention provides a game that is sufficiently complex to engage the older participant, while being structured, less threatening and, thereby, more appealing to the younger participant.
Accordingly, it is a first object of this invention to provide a set of game cards and a simple, yet intellectually engaging turn-based game to be played therewith. It is a second object of this invention to provide a set of game cards which, by their appearance and mode of use in the game, are rendered desirable and, thereby, tradable and collectible. It is yet a third object of the present invention to provide a set of game cards and a game to be played therewith that afford the participants the enjoyment of competitive play together with a literary, scientific and mathematical learning experience. It is yet a fourth object of the present invention to provide a turn based game in which the victorious participant will have depleted the energy of certain cards held by his opponents.